CityUHK fosters a healthy campus and sports excellence with the grand opening of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) held a grand opening ceremony on 27 May for the all-new Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre. The official commissioning of the sports centre marks another milestone in the University's commitment to advancing sports development and whole-person education, providing a state-of-the-art hub that integrates sports training, healthy living and community cohesion for students, faculty and alumni. Representatives from the University management, faculty, staff and students gathered to witness the inauguration of this new campus landmark.
The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Charles Chin Ying-on, Treasurer of CityUHK; Professor Lee Chun Sing, Acting President; and important donors Professor Herman Hu Shao-ming and Mr David Hui Yip-wing. Embracing the sports theme, the officiating guests swapped their formal business attire for vibrant sportswear to lead a unique "Ball-Serving Ceremony", serving the inaugural balls into the new court to mark the official opening of the sports centre.
In his welcome remarks, Mr Chin expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the donors for their generosity in supporting CityUHK’s sports development and for providing scholarships and awards to our student-athletes. He said, “We are honoured that our sports centre bears the name of the late Dr Hu Fa Kuang, a legendary supporter of CityUHK and Hong Kong sport. His legacy inspires passion, health and excellence across our campus and community.”
Professor Lee stated, “The completion of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre marks a significant milestone in CityUHK’s commitment to fostering health and wellness, which are essential for a thriving university and prerequisites for excellence. This centre will enable our sports teams to focus on the systematic training, serving as a solid foundation. The centre will also champion the spirit of whole-person participation, seamlessly weaving sport into campus daily life so that everyone can enjoy it. Sport is for everyone, from beginners to elite athletes.”
Professor Hu, Co-Chairperson of the Board of Governors and Honorary Patron of the CityUHK Foundation, addressed the audience at the ceremony, noting that the centre was named in honour of his late father, Dr Hu Fa Kuang. The centre aims to pass on his father's treasured values of leading by example, perseverance and integrity, extending this sporting passion to every corner of the campus.
As a lifelong champion of sports development, Professor Hu added: "Sport has been my lifelong companion. It taught me discipline when I wanted to quit, humility when I lost and trust when I needed a team. These are life skills no textbook can capture. To every student-athlete here today: this centre is yours. Whatever helps you find out what you are capable of—go for it with no hesitation.”
Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, Chairman of the CityUHK Council, extended his warmest congratulations on the grand opening of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre. Professor Ngai noted that the newly completed sports centre is a professional arena for nurturing elite athletes and an inclusive platform for uniting students, faculty, alumni and the wider CityUHK community. He expressed his firm belief that this spectacular new "home court" will inspire more young people to challenge themselves, pursue excellence, and cultivate perseverance and team spirit through sport.
The newly completed Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre features a contemporary, multi-functional design. Adhering to the core philosophy of "Built for excellence, designed for all", it incorporates an array of top-tier facilities that meet professional tournament standards, including:
• The largest single-level university sports hall in Hong Kong: Featuring a 10-metre-high ceiling, the hall is equipped with two-layer batten system maple wood flooring that offers exceptional shock absorption. It is the only sports floor in Hong Kong that simultaneously meets the premier standards of international basketball, badminton, handball and volleyball federations. It can flexibly accommodate 14 badminton or pickleball courts, 3 basketball or volleyball courts, or 1 handball court.
• The first doubles squash court among local universities: Equipped with an electrically movable side wall, the facility allows seamless configuration changes between singles and doubles courts.
• International-standard table tennis room: Fitted with professional plastic sports flooring that meets the shock-absorption standards of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the room can accommodate up to 8 table tennis tables at the same time. It can also be flexibly converted to support other sports, such as fencing and indoor archery.
• The first all-weather indoor jogging track among local universities: Utilising professional-grade, wear-resistant, high-elasticity sports surfacing materials, the track provides a comfortable, weather-proof, year-round running space. It seamlessly extends and connects to a 1.5-kilometre outdoor hillside trail, allowing runners to transition effortlessly between state-of-the-art indoor facilities and serene natural greenery.
• Digital fitness facilities: The physical fitness room features digitised cardio and strength equipment integrated with smart consoles. Users can sync and upload their workout data to a cloud platform, making it highly convenient to track and manage their personal health progress via mobile applications.
The opening ceremony was attended by members of the Council, the Court and CityUHK Foundation Board of Governors. Among the attendees were Council members Mr Gary Lock Wai-tak, Mr Robert Andrew Lui Chi-wang, Mr Justin Wong Tak-ho, Dr Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung, Mr Edward Ho Man-tat, Dr Tony Ko Pat-sing and Mr Gabriel Ho Kai-pong, Court Member Professor Gary Cheng Faat-ting; Secretary to the Council and Secretary to the Court Mr Ronald Chu; and Members of the Board of Governors of the CityUHK Foundation Mr Winfred Chan Hon-pun, Ms Cecilia Chu and Mr Lau Tat-chuen.
Baldwin Chan Ho-wah, a member of the CityUHK Table Tennis Team and a representative of the Hong Kong, China Team, praised the facilities after a trial session. He said, "The professional flooring in the new venue has excellent anti-slip and shock-absorption capabilities. The spatial layout is well-planned, allowing more teammates to engage in high-intensity training simultaneously. It is absolutely on par with elite venues found in professional sports training institutions."
Always innovating into the future, CityUHK is the first local university to introduce standard, dedicated facilities for pickleball. This sport, which is easy to learn and highly engaging, has recently taken the world by storm and has become immensely popular among students and staff. The opening of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre provides a premier training platform to cultivate sports excellence and offers diverse sporting choices for students, staff and alumni. It injects a positive, health-conscious atmosphere on campus, inspiring the entire university community to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle.
Also present at the event to witness this significant occasion were members of the University’s management team, including Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise); Professor Anderson Shum Ho-cheung, Vice-President (Research); Professor Chan Chi Hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement); Professor Espen Aarseth, Dean of the School of Creative Media; Professor Alex Wong, Dean of Students; Professor Steve Wong-hang, Associate Vice-President (Community Engagement); Professor Li Lishuai, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research); and Ms Kathy Chan, Associate Vice-President (Development) and Secretary-General of the CityUHK Foundation, together with department heads, faculty members and student representatives.
Media enquiries:
Sunny Liu, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 9322)
The opening ceremony was officiated by Mr Charles Chin Ying-on, Treasurer of CityUHK; Professor Lee Chun Sing, Acting President; and important donors Professor Herman Hu Shao-ming and Mr David Hui Yip-wing. Embracing the sports theme, the officiating guests swapped their formal business attire for vibrant sportswear to lead a unique "Ball-Serving Ceremony", serving the inaugural balls into the new court to mark the official opening of the sports centre.
In his welcome remarks, Mr Chin expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the donors for their generosity in supporting CityUHK’s sports development and for providing scholarships and awards to our student-athletes. He said, “We are honoured that our sports centre bears the name of the late Dr Hu Fa Kuang, a legendary supporter of CityUHK and Hong Kong sport. His legacy inspires passion, health and excellence across our campus and community.”
Professor Lee stated, “The completion of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre marks a significant milestone in CityUHK’s commitment to fostering health and wellness, which are essential for a thriving university and prerequisites for excellence. This centre will enable our sports teams to focus on the systematic training, serving as a solid foundation. The centre will also champion the spirit of whole-person participation, seamlessly weaving sport into campus daily life so that everyone can enjoy it. Sport is for everyone, from beginners to elite athletes.”
Professor Hu, Co-Chairperson of the Board of Governors and Honorary Patron of the CityUHK Foundation, addressed the audience at the ceremony, noting that the centre was named in honour of his late father, Dr Hu Fa Kuang. The centre aims to pass on his father's treasured values of leading by example, perseverance and integrity, extending this sporting passion to every corner of the campus.
As a lifelong champion of sports development, Professor Hu added: "Sport has been my lifelong companion. It taught me discipline when I wanted to quit, humility when I lost and trust when I needed a team. These are life skills no textbook can capture. To every student-athlete here today: this centre is yours. Whatever helps you find out what you are capable of—go for it with no hesitation.”
Professor the Honourable Michael Ngai, Chairman of the CityUHK Council, extended his warmest congratulations on the grand opening of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre. Professor Ngai noted that the newly completed sports centre is a professional arena for nurturing elite athletes and an inclusive platform for uniting students, faculty, alumni and the wider CityUHK community. He expressed his firm belief that this spectacular new "home court" will inspire more young people to challenge themselves, pursue excellence, and cultivate perseverance and team spirit through sport.
The newly completed Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre features a contemporary, multi-functional design. Adhering to the core philosophy of "Built for excellence, designed for all", it incorporates an array of top-tier facilities that meet professional tournament standards, including:
• The largest single-level university sports hall in Hong Kong: Featuring a 10-metre-high ceiling, the hall is equipped with two-layer batten system maple wood flooring that offers exceptional shock absorption. It is the only sports floor in Hong Kong that simultaneously meets the premier standards of international basketball, badminton, handball and volleyball federations. It can flexibly accommodate 14 badminton or pickleball courts, 3 basketball or volleyball courts, or 1 handball court.
• The first doubles squash court among local universities: Equipped with an electrically movable side wall, the facility allows seamless configuration changes between singles and doubles courts.
• International-standard table tennis room: Fitted with professional plastic sports flooring that meets the shock-absorption standards of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the room can accommodate up to 8 table tennis tables at the same time. It can also be flexibly converted to support other sports, such as fencing and indoor archery.
• The first all-weather indoor jogging track among local universities: Utilising professional-grade, wear-resistant, high-elasticity sports surfacing materials, the track provides a comfortable, weather-proof, year-round running space. It seamlessly extends and connects to a 1.5-kilometre outdoor hillside trail, allowing runners to transition effortlessly between state-of-the-art indoor facilities and serene natural greenery.
• Digital fitness facilities: The physical fitness room features digitised cardio and strength equipment integrated with smart consoles. Users can sync and upload their workout data to a cloud platform, making it highly convenient to track and manage their personal health progress via mobile applications.
The opening ceremony was attended by members of the Council, the Court and CityUHK Foundation Board of Governors. Among the attendees were Council members Mr Gary Lock Wai-tak, Mr Robert Andrew Lui Chi-wang, Mr Justin Wong Tak-ho, Dr Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung, Mr Edward Ho Man-tat, Dr Tony Ko Pat-sing and Mr Gabriel Ho Kai-pong, Court Member Professor Gary Cheng Faat-ting; Secretary to the Council and Secretary to the Court Mr Ronald Chu; and Members of the Board of Governors of the CityUHK Foundation Mr Winfred Chan Hon-pun, Ms Cecilia Chu and Mr Lau Tat-chuen.
Baldwin Chan Ho-wah, a member of the CityUHK Table Tennis Team and a representative of the Hong Kong, China Team, praised the facilities after a trial session. He said, "The professional flooring in the new venue has excellent anti-slip and shock-absorption capabilities. The spatial layout is well-planned, allowing more teammates to engage in high-intensity training simultaneously. It is absolutely on par with elite venues found in professional sports training institutions."
Always innovating into the future, CityUHK is the first local university to introduce standard, dedicated facilities for pickleball. This sport, which is easy to learn and highly engaging, has recently taken the world by storm and has become immensely popular among students and staff. The opening of the Hu Fa Kuang Sports Centre provides a premier training platform to cultivate sports excellence and offers diverse sporting choices for students, staff and alumni. It injects a positive, health-conscious atmosphere on campus, inspiring the entire university community to embrace an active and healthy lifestyle.
Also present at the event to witness this significant occasion were members of the University’s management team, including Professor Michael Yang Mengsu, Senior Vice-President (Innovation and Enterprise); Professor Anderson Shum Ho-cheung, Vice-President (Research); Professor Chan Chi Hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement); Professor Espen Aarseth, Dean of the School of Creative Media; Professor Alex Wong, Dean of Students; Professor Steve Wong-hang, Associate Vice-President (Community Engagement); Professor Li Lishuai, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research); and Ms Kathy Chan, Associate Vice-President (Development) and Secretary-General of the CityUHK Foundation, together with department heads, faculty members and student representatives.
Media enquiries:
Sunny Liu, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 9322)